Unholy Player Chapter 505 A Word Too Dangerous to Say

Dalin pondered the logistics of the task. "But how am I supposed to appraise them?" she wondered.

Her gaze shifted toward the nearest STF soldier. Guided by instinct, she examined his equipment first. The metal edges, straps, and protective plates immediately drew her focus as they caught the light.

While she could easily calculate the monetary value of every piece of gear he carried, how could she measure his worth as a human being? After all, these men weren't slaves being auctioned in a marketplace.

"Stop thinking about money and build your own point system," Adyr remarked, noticing her internal struggle. Offering his own perspective, he continued, "Establish a potential value ranging from 1 to 10 based on your personal criteria. Then, assign a number to each individual based on the potential you perceive in them. Not their price tag."

"Okay," Dalin replied.

This time, she ignored the gear and focused on the soldier himself. She analyzed his face, the sharpness of his bone structure, his hands, and his posture. She noted the cadence of his breathing, searching for the subtle tells that most observers would overlook.

Was he truly confident, or a coward masking his fear? Was he a family man, a devoted brother, or perhaps someone satisfied with taking orders? Did he harbor the ambition to one day reach the rank of commander?

She attempted to decipher his entire essence through observation alone. In her mind, she constructed a profile, categorizing him much like she would sort a shipment of cargo.

Actually, this analytical process wasn't entirely new to Dalin. She simply hadn't realized until this moment that she had been doing it throughout her life.

Having been raised in a wealthy and influential family, evaluating people and assessing their utility had become second nature. She had grown up watching her parents and grandfather do the same, eventually adopting the habit herself.

It was only now, with Adyr’s guidance, that she grasped how this talent could be applied to more than just inanimate objects and financial worth.

"2 out of 10," she finally declared, voicing her assessment of the soldier. Upon hearing that score, the soldier’s disciplined and steady posture wavered for a split second, evidently stung by such a low rating.

Adyr chuckled and asked, "Why is that?"

When Adyr looked at the man, his own observations told him why the number was so low. Nonetheless, he wished to hear Dalin’s logic and the framework she was utilizing.

The soldier also appeared curious. He turned his gaze toward her, awaiting an explanation as if seeking some reason to salvage his self-esteem. "Because he recently got married and now has a newborn. That alone keeps him anchored in the Beyond. Those kinds of attachments always place limits on a person. These attachments make his decisions cautious, and they will continue to do so in the future. He'll avoid risks that could cost him his life or his position, and that hesitation will block his future."

The soldier was visibly stunned. He couldn't fathom how Dalin knew details of his private life, particularly regarding the newborn. He hadn't shared that information with anyone, not even his closest comrades.

As an elite soldier, he was expected to possess a mind as resilient as steel. Discussing personal matters or anything that could create a psychological vulnerability during deployment was strictly forbidden. This rule was hammered into every STF member through brutal training.

Dalin noticed his shocked expression, as if he suspected she had used some Spark skill to read his mind. She laughed in amusement. "Don't worry. I didn't read your mind. I just read your files a little."

In truth, she had reviewed the available records for every soldier in the vicinity. Given her status as a Player and her powerful background, obtaining them hadn't been difficult, even if the ethics of doing so were debatable.

However, ethics were of little concern to her in a world like this. Ultimately, understanding your allies was just as vital as knowing your enemies—especially when a single error could result in casualties.

"What about the others?" Adyr inquired with genuine interest. He found her capacity for appraising people fascinating, like watching a specialized tool reveal a hidden function.

Dalin complied without hesitation. She moved through the group one by one, assigning a number to each person.

The highest rating she gave was to the company captain—a middle-aged woman with a stern, immovable expression that looked as if it had been forged by years of hardship.

Even her score was only a 5.

Finally, she turned her focused gaze toward Adyr. "And your value is..."

She paused to deliberate. She organized every scrap of data she had collected into mental files, linking and comparing them until she reached a conclusion like a solved mathematical equation.

Weighing not just who he was, but his future potential, she stated with absolute confidence, "It's 9."

"And where did you take 1 point away?" Adyr asked, his curiosity piqued. He wanted to hear her critique of him—the specific area where she felt he was lacking.

Since Adyr hadn't received a perfect score, it meant either she was being exceptionally stingy or there was a genuine flaw she had identified.

It was the latter. "You are too calm for your own sake."

The moment the words escaped her, Dalin’s expression shifted, as if she immediately regretted her honesty.

Adyr’s interest only deepened, his voice remaining as steady as ever. "Is that supposed to be a disadvantage?"

Dalin looked as though she wanted to drop the subject, but when she met Adyr’s eyes—which felt as deep and pulling as a crimson sea—she forced herself to elaborate.

"For you, it is." She let out a sigh. "You almost lost your family, but I've never seen you raise your voice in anger. You made enemies as strong as someone riding a dragon, and you dealt with a scientist who calls himself mad, yet I've never seen you panic."

Her voice softened as she went on.

"You gave a new territory to humans. You made it possible for them to build a new place they can call a second home, but I've never heard you go high and mighty, praising yourself. You made people call you a hero, a king, and a ruler, but I've never seen these accomplishments inflate your ego."

She bowed her head and fell into a brief silence. Even the soldiers in the transport seemed to hold their breath, afraid to break the tension.

"You are always so calm, not showing the emotions that should be shown, or only showing the ones you want people to see. It's like no matter what happens in front of you-success, failure, or loss-you react with the same calmness, like..."

She cut herself off, unable to voice the final thought.

The word in her mind felt perilous. She sensed that speaking it aloud would cross a line that could never be uncrossed.

Adyr did not pressure her to finish. He simply brushed it off with a laugh. "I get it."

He felt it too. He had no desire to hear that word either.